Instituted in 1985, The Butkus Award® is one of the elite individual honors, originally given each year to one player in college football: the most impactful linebacker in the game. In 2008, The Butkus Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, took stewardship of the award to fully realize the original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community.

Semi-Finalists

Madden Faraimo

J Serra Catholic High School

Noah Mikhail

Bonita

Nasir Wyatt

Mater Dei

Darrell Johnson

Dodge County

Zayden Walker

Schley County

Tavion Wallace

Wayne County

Dawson Merritt

Blue Valley

Keylan Moses

University Lab

Jarcoby Hopson

Lake Cormorant

Christian Jones

Westside

Anthony Sacca

St. Joseph’s Prep School

Elijah Barnes

Skyline

Riley Pettijohn

McKinney

Brett Clatterbaugh

Eastern View

Finalists

Madden Faraimo

J Serra Catholic High School

Christian Jones

Westside

Noah Mikhail

Bonita

Riley Pettijohn

McKinney

Nasir Wyatt

Mater Dei

Watch List

Ja’Qualin Birdsong

Troup County High School

Jaylen Boardley

Pleasant Grove High School

Sammy Brown

(Jefferson High School)

Cam Buffington

Mount Union High School

Bodie Kahoun

Patrick Henry High School

Kolaj Cobbins

Destrehan High School 

Fred Clark

Winona High School

Aaron Chiles

Our Lady of Good Counsel

Kolaj Cobbins

Destrehan High School 

Chris Cole 

Salem High School

Mason Curtis

The Ensworth School High School 

Frank Cusano

Granite Bay High School 

Sterling Dixon

Mobile Christian High School

Myles Graham

Woodward Academy High School

Wendell Gregory

Walton High School 

Zavier Hamilton

Navarre High School

Adarius Hayes

Largo High School

Rodney Hill

Flagler Palm Coast High School

Andrew Hines

Woodward High School

Kari Jackson

West Bloomfield High School

Cayden Jones

Christ School High School 

Kristopher Jones

Fairfax High School

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

(St. John Bosco High School)

Melvin Laster

Liberty North High School 

Cameron Lindsey

Aliquippa High School

Jordan Lockhart

St. John Bosco High School

William Love

Eastside High School

Willis McGahee IV

Columbus High School

Payton Pierce

(Lovejoy High School)

Jeremiah Marcelin

Norland High School

Booker Pickett Jr.

Wharton High School

Brayden Platt

(Yelm High School)

Demarcus Riddick

Chilton County High School

Jayshawn Ross

Liberty North High School

Preston Ries

Monticello Community High School

Bradley Shaw

Hoover High School

Colin Simmons

Duncanville High School

Tylen Singleton

Many High School

Montrez Smith

Carrollton High School

Tyanthony Smith

Jasper High School

Anthony Speca

Pittsburgh Catholic High School

Edward Spillman

David Academy High School

Garrett Stover

Big Walnut High School

Derek Weisskopf

Williamsburg High School

Maurice Williams Jr.

Shadow Creek High School

Gabriel Williams

Saint Vincent Pallotti High School

Dylan Williams

Poly High School

Ashton Woods

Walton High School 

Bryce Young

Charlotte Christian High School 

Madden Faraimo

J Serra Catholic High School

Semi-Finalists

Sammy Brown

(Jefferson High School)

Aaron Chiles

Our Lady of Good Counsel

Chris Cole 

Salem High School

Cayden Jones

Christ School High School 

Kristopher Jones

Fairfax High School

Bodie Kahoun

Patrick Henry High School

Payton Pierce

(Lovejoy High School)

Brayden Platt

(Yelm High School)

Demarcus Riddick

Chilton County High School

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

(St. John Bosco High School)

Derek Weisskopf

Williamsburg High School

Justin williams

(Oak Ridge High School)

Finalists

Sammy Brown

Senior

(Jefferson High School)

Payton Pierce

Senior

(Lovejoy High School)

Brayden Platt

Senior

(Yelm High School)

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

Senior

(St. John Bosco High School)

Justin williams

Senior

(Oak Ridge High School)

Winner

Sammy Brown

Senior

(Jefferson High School)

Watch List

Tausili Akana

Skyridge

C.J. Allen

Lamar County

Jamal Anderson

Mill Creek

Jaiden Ausberry

University Laboratory

Drayk Bowen

Andrean High School

Troy Bowles

Jesuit

Christian Brathwaite

Cypress Ranch

Semaj Bridgeman

Archbishop Wood

Jayvant Brown

St. Thomas Aquinas

Malik Bryant

Jones

Lewis Carter

Tampa Catholic

Trevor Carter

Ironton

Stanquan Clark

Miami Central

Dee Crayton

Denmark

Justin Cryer

Royal

Tre Edwards

Mater Dei Catholic

Palaie Faoa

Bishop Gorman

Troy Ford

Calvary Day

Grant Godfrey

North Gwinnett

Jordan Hall

IMG Academy

Jaybron Harvey

Southern Durham

Caleb Herring

Riverdale

Tabias Hinton

Hattiesburg

Grayson Howard

Andrew Jackson

Ty Jones

Bay Springs

Matt Kingsbury

St. Rita

Ben Kueter

Iowa City

Liona Lefau

Kahuka

David Loch

York

Corey Lucius

Tampa Catholic

Karmelo Overton

Carroll

Phil Picciotti

IMG Academy

Jalen Rambert

Powdersville

Arvell Reese

Glenville

Jaden Robinson

Columbia

Jalen Smith

Grayson

Leviticus Su’a

Mater Dei Catholic

Jeremiah Telander

Gainesville

Josiah Trotter

St. Joseph’s Prep

Rico Walker

Hickory

Whit Weeks

Oconee County

Semi-Finalists

C.J. Allen

Lamar County

Jamal Anderson

Mill Creek

Jaiden Ausberry

University Laboratory

Drayk Bowen

Andrean High School

Troy Bowles

Jesuit

Malik Bryant

Jones

Lewis Carter

Tampa Catholic

Grant Godfrey

North Gwinnett

Ben Kueter

Iowa City

Arvell Reese

Glenville

Raylen Wilson

Lincoln

Finalists

Drayk Bowen

Andrean High School

Ben Kueter

Iowa City

Raylen Wilson

Lincoln

Winner

Drayk Bowen

Andrean High School

Winner

Raekwon McMillan

Liberty County

Winner

Manti Te’o

Punahou School

Winner

Jordan Hicks

Lakota West

Winner

Tony Steward

Menendez

Winner

Noor Davis

Leesburg

Winner

Jaylon Smith

Bishop Luers

Winner

Shawn Murphy

Unity Reed

Winner

Malik Jefferson

Ralph H. Poteet

Winner

Caleb Kelly

Clovis West

Winner

Dylan Moses

IMG Academy

Winner

Solomon Tuliaupupu

Mater Dei

Winner

Nakobe Dean

Horn Lake

Winner

Justin Flowe

Upland HS

Winner

Prince Kollie

David Crockett